Bound by Fate

Chapter 3: Unwanted

“Mmm...” Lily Thompson stirred, slowly opening her eyes to find herself in a car. When she saw Ethan Blackwood’s cold, indifferent face, she surprisingly felt a sense of relief.

Ethan noticed her pale complexion and the way she seemed ready to pass out at any moment. He frowned in disgust—so weak!

Lily bit her lip, feeling wronged. Did he really dislike her that much? She scooted closer to the car window, turning her back to him. If he hated seeing her so much, then she’d make sure he didn’t have to look at her. After all, he had been kind enough to take her in; the least she could do was not be a burden.

Seeing her act as if she was afraid he might eat her, Ethan pursed his lips but said nothing. He closed his eyes and leaned back to rest.

The ride was silent, as usual, with the driver well accustomed to the quiet atmosphere. When the car finally pulled into the villa, Ethan didn’t wait for the driver to open the door; he stepped out on his own.

Lily watched his retreating back, pouting slightly. She couldn’t understand why he disliked her so much.

“Miss, please step out of the car,” the driver said respectfully, holding the door open for her.

“Thank you!” Lily hopped out and quickly followed Ethan, making sure to keep a respectful three-step distance behind him.

“Master...” A young man with a gentle, jade-like appearance stood before Ethan, his presence calm and comforting.

Ethan paused briefly. “She’s your responsibility now,” he said before heading upstairs without looking back.

Lily watched him disappear up the stairs, knowing that “she” referred to her.

Noticing the reluctance in her eyes, the young man, David West, followed her gaze to the stairs before turning back to her with a slight smile. “Aren’t you afraid of him?” he asked, surprised.

Lily looked at him in confusion. Afraid of him? Why would she be afraid of him? “He’s a good person!” she said earnestly. Even though he seemed cold and appeared to dislike her, he had taken her in and hadn’t left her at the hospital. That made him a good person in her eyes.

A good person? David’s mouth twitched, and he looked at her as if she were from another planet. Ethan Blackwood, a good person? How could that be?

Cautiously, he asked, “You really think he’s a good person?”

“Yes!” Lily nodded, looking at him curiously, her eyes questioning. “Is that wrong?”

“Heh...” David chuckled awkwardly. “No, not at all!” But inwardly, he couldn’t help but think it was completely wrong. Calling Ethan a demon wouldn’t be an exaggeration, but a good person? That was a stretch!

“Hey, you... take this breakfast up to Mr. Blackwood!”

Lily instinctively took the tray from the stern-faced maid, hesitating as she said, “But... David said the second floor is Mr. Blackwood’s territory, and no one’s allowed up there.”

Most of the maids in the villa harbored ambitions of getting close to Ethan, even though they couldn’t help but be scared of him. The allure of becoming Mrs. Blackwood, the wife of the CEO of Blackwood Industries, was too tempting to resist, and Ethan’s own charm made him even harder to ignore. Fear and attraction battled in their hearts.

But this particular maid had her eyes set on David. Since Lily had been personally entrusted to him by Ethan, David treated her with extra care, which this maid couldn’t stand. She often found ways to make things difficult for Lily.

Looking at Lily’s delicate face, the maid’s eyes flashed with jealousy. So what if she was a bit prettier? Did that really warrant all of David’s attention?

“If you don’t take the breakfast up, are you going to let Mr. Blackwood starve? If he gets angry, it’ll be all your fault. Don’t think you can pin the blame on someone else!” She was certain that this timid little rabbit was terrified of Ethan and wanted to teach her a lesson.

Hearing this, Lily frowned tightly. She was right! If no one brought him breakfast, he might go hungry! With that thought, she grabbed the tray and headed upstairs.

The maid watched her go in surprise. She really dared to go up? Then a sly smile crossed her face—this clumsy little rabbit was bound to upset Mr. Blackwood. This was going to be interesting!

In reality, Lily wasn’t clumsy; she just didn’t remember things well. But once she saw how something was done, she could do it perfectly.

David had just received some new information and was about to report it to Ethan. As he reached the staircase, he noticed the maid’s smug grin and frowned. “What’s going on?”

“Ah...” The maid, lost in her daydream of seeing Lily thrown out, jumped at the sound of his voice. When she turned and saw it was David, her heart leaped with joy, and she flashed him a perfect smile, her voice sweet as honey. “David...”

David’s eyes narrowed in displeasure. “Are you that free?” Though these maids weren’t directly under Ethan’s command, he had no use for idlers.

“No... not at all... I’ll get back to work!” The maid reluctantly turned to leave, casting one last longing glance at David.

Although David appeared gentle and kind, his methods were not something anyone wanted to experience firsthand. With a demon for a master, it wasn’t as if the servants could be much better.

“Knock, knock...” Lily knocked on the door repeatedly but got no response. Frowning, she waited a bit longer, but still, nothing happened. Finally, she reached for the doorknob. It wasn’t locked, so she opened the door and stepped inside.

She had just placed the tray on the bedside table when Ethan emerged from the bathroom. He was wearing only a towel around his waist, one hand holding another towel as he dried his dripping silver-blue hair. Water droplets trailed down his pale chest, over his toned abs, and disappeared beneath the towel.

When Ethan saw Lily, he frowned in displeasure. He didn’t like his private space being invaded.

Noticing his discontent, Lily felt a twinge of sadness. She lowered her head. “I just came to bring you breakfast. I’ll leave now!” With that, she turned and walked out without sparing another glance at the tempting sight before her.

Watching her retreating figure, Ethan quietly reconsidered. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have her serve him. Though he typically disliked such fragile little rabbits, she was better than the women who feared him yet still tried to climb into his bed. She would bring fewer complications.

“Lily...” David greeted her with a warm smile as he saw her coming downstairs.

Lily pouted, clearly upset. “David, am I really that unlikeable?”

Unlikeable? David glanced at the closed door. What had the master done? Seeing her downcast expression, he reached out and gently ruffled her soft hair, comforting her. “How could anyone dislike you, Lily? You’re so endearing.”

Lily looked at him doubtfully, still feeling down. “Then why does everyone seem to dislike me?”

In truth, she didn’t care much if others disliked her. But it bothered her that Ethan seemed to dislike her. Maybe it was because of some instinctive attachment—after all, when she first woke up with no memory, he was the first person she saw. Since then, she had always felt something different towards him.